Book Review: Tranquility's Grief

Tranquility's Grief

By:  Krista D. Ball

Publisher:  Mundania Press

Publish Date:  December 11, 2012

Format:  eBook 251pgs

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  2nd in Tranquility series; 1st Book ~ Tranquility's Blaze

Recommendation:  Oh YES!  War, death, family, friends, weddings, smiles, and grief, everything a fantasy should be - hard life and tough decisions that aren't always what the characters want but what the world needs - in one place with a goddess, magic, and swords.  I might have enjoyed the irony to much in these dire times, ones that are fitting in fantasy and time of age set in.

Synopsis:
As bodies of her father and her sister burned, Bethany refused to say good-bye.  She would say it only when she saw the release of their spirits and the burning of every person connected to their deaths.

Only then would they rest in peace.
***
Thousands are dead.  Lady Champion Bethany's tainted sister is slain.  Her home lost forever.  And Magic yet survives.  Bethany thought she'd given everything in the fight against Magic.  She was wrong.  When the deaths of those closest to her shake her already crumbled world, she doesn't wilt and die.  She still has one thing left to gain even now: revenge.

Prophecy or no, half-goddess or not, Bethany vows to bring order back to the world with the edge of her blade.  No matter who she must defy.  No matter what stands in her way.  No matter who must die.

For what they've done to her, all will pay.

First Sentence:
Hot pain stirred Sarissa from the brink of darkness.

Purchase At:

Amazon   /   Barnes & Nobles

My Thoughts and Summary:
Months later Bethany's hiding in a smelly outhouse for privacy with her bottle, with the destruction of her home and life, with her secret of who she is in the open, feeling the guilt of loss in lives, and hurting from losing her love, she wants nothing more than to be left alone.  But things are about to become complicated in war time, as they always are.  On her way to Allric's 'study' for a meeting she is met by her guests - her little and middle sisters, who she hasn't seen in nine years, show up.  In the time of war, Bethany's helpless sisters come and the leader of the army Allric is called back home to Wyllow replaced with Jud, one no one likes.  The Elven Council has changes in mind for this dangerous time, and they are not allowing the Elven Elite - Silver Knight - to march to the north to battle against Magic that's rising in power and attacking them weekly.  Bethany comes to herself when more deaths tally and doesn't agree with the Elven Council.  She has other plans.  Bethany might come across a strong young man in the north her leading his own rebellion that her army can join with and make a stand against the king pushing the Magic in Taftlin.

Oh My Goodness!  The word Grief in the title has it.  It's war now.  Against the magi and the sister she thought she killed.  In war things get ugly, and they do for Bethany.  Well written with constant happenings and action.  Situations that put the characters to doing what they don't want to, but need to.  The world is not safe.

Boom!  We start right in with Bethany a bit of a mess after the battle at Tranquility Temple.  Bethany feels responsible for all the deaths as she thinks she didn't act soon enough against her sister.  Then theirs the guilt for killing her sister as well, along with knowing she'd willingly do it again.  Then she has her soldiers and citizens looking at her different, feeling uncomfortable around her, knowing who she is - this she tried to hide from them for this reason.  Bethany sees her life in tatters just like her home town and Temple.  Then Bethany slowly sees the side she did help.  There are people alive, who wouldn't be, if it wasn't for her.  That there is more with her friendships here in these dark times that mean something.  And things have to change from where they are sitting.  Bethany goes through her down spell, but she sucks it up for the better good and pushes on.

I love that Bethany has a realistic view in her world, even though she's down.  Some may say she's a touch pessimistic  but I think not.  She wants better but wonders if it's possible with the Magi threatening at anytime and the war they feel raging to come.  She knows she needs to make some sort of action and being who she is, figures a way to use her parentage to make it happen.  Bethany knows the way of the world, even if it hurts her she will stand as the Lady Champion she is.

What about Sarissa?  Yes, what about her. *smiles* She is growing in strength through this book and the things she goes through and the chats she has with Bethany...well, we will see her again.

This story never stops!  Krista is great with the fast action and drawing you in to the situation at hand.  I have to say I LOVED the book and the beginning for it's dreariness.  I might have enjoyed the situations more than I should have.  In the characters dire moments, I smiled.

• Bethany is hiding in a foul smelling rickety outhouse with NO roof and a bottle of brandy.
• The leader of the elite Elven Guard giving orders from the stable with horse blankets as wells!  
• Where one soldier gets shoot!

So well described and fits the time and situation perfectly!  Krista has done an amazing job of giving us a war time feel and yet keep us from being bored with the hard times.  Over and over again Krista put a smile on my face as I worried about the war as well.

I was completely sated for my fantasy needs in this book.  War, Goddess meddling, death, love, Magic, and so much more!  Fantasy is about a hard life and tough decisions that aren't always for the characters.  This is it.  I know there's more to come, but felt this book had a whole story, not the middle child in any way to me.  I scarfed up this book in no time flat!  I couldn't put it down.

As much as I enjoyed Tranquility's Blaze, Tranquility's Grief blew me away!

Krista is also the author of :
What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank
Description:
A Fantasy Lover's Food Guide

Equal parts writer’s guide, comedy, and historical cookbook, fantasy author Krista D. Ball takes readers on a journey into the depths of epic fantasy’s obsession with rabbit stew and teaches them how to catch the blasted creatures, how to move armies across enemy territories without anyone starving to death, and what a medieval pantry should look like when your heroine is seducing the hero.

Learn how long to cook a salted cow tongue, how best to serve salt fish, what a “brewis” is (hint: it isn’t beer), how an airship captain would make breakfast, how to preserve just about anything, and why those dairy maids all have ample hips.

What Kings Ate will give writers of historical and fantastical genres the tools to create new conflicts in their stories, as well as add authenticity to their worlds, all the while giving food history lovers a taste of the past with original recipes and historical notes.

**I read this book for an honest review from the author, after enjoying the first book.